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Bellsprout Line/RBY
Bellsprout is found on Routes 12 through 15, 24 and 25 in both Blue and Yellow. It can also be found on Routes 5 through 7 in Blue alone. It is unavailable in Red. Leaf Stones may be bought in Celadon City. The likely lesser version of Venusaur, but a good counterpart to Vileplume otherwise; unlike the Oddish line, the Bellsprout line can sport a proper Grass move to work with, though at the price of waiting for quite long into the game to learn it. Bellsprout works very well in the early portion of the game, thanks to its typing; it then wears down for a while, until it gets the long awaited Vine Whip upgrade, though it can still pull off surprising wins with Wrap, wherever its Speed allows it to do so. As many other Grass-types, it has a relatively limited niche; however, it works fine within it, and can provide the more experienced and adventurous players a neat novelty element in their teams. Important Matchups - Yellow = * Gym #2 - Misty (Cerulean City, Water-type): Weepinbell 2-3HKOs Staryu and 4HKOs Starmie with Vine Whip. It can also set up with Growth in front of Staryu, to KO Starmie more quickly; the OHKO is never guaranteed, but starting at +3, Starmie will be 2HKOed. * Rival (S.S. Anne): Although Spearow knows Peck, Weepinbell can use Sleep Powder or Stun Spore combined with Wrap to minimise the damage intake and eventually KO it. Sandshrew is normally 2HKOed by Vine Whip; Rattata is 2-3HKOed, and Eevee can be KOed in four or more hits, though unlike Sandshrew, neither Rattata nor Eevee know Slash. As such, both can be exploited for Growth setups, or even Sandshrew, if Sleep Powder or Stun Spore do their job. * Gym #3 - Lt. Surge (Vermilion City, Electric-type): Raichu's Mega Kick 3HKOs and is prone to critical hits. Weepinbell may be able to win, but only by alternating a powder move with Wrap, and the matchup will require luck either way; after a single Mega Kick taken, Weepinbell enters the critical hit danger zone. * Rival (Pokémon Tower): Fearow does not have Flying STAB, though its average Fury Attack 3-4HKOs and its Mirror Move can copy Wrap if Weepinbell goes the stall way; it is recommended to paralyse or put it to sleep first, and use caution throughout the battle, never leaving it room to attack. Sandshrew and Shellder are 2HKOed by Vine Whip; Magnemite is an average 4HKO, which can be supplemented with powder moves or Wrap turns to reduce its SonicBoom damage. Vulpix is averagely 3HKOed by Acid, but must be stalled out with Wrap and paralysis or sleep status if Weepinbell does not know Acid yet. Eevee is sturdy but not strong; Wrap and Acid, or Vine Whip if not Acid, will eventually beat it. * Giovanni (Rocket Hideout, Ground-type): Vine Whip OHKOs Onix and Rhyhorn. Persian's Bite is a 4HKO on average, though Persian's Speed is high and thus likely to cause critical hits; Weepinbell may fight it with the usual Stun Spore or Sleep Powder paired with Wrap, but using caution in the event of severe damage is a must. * Gym #4 - Erika (Celadon City, Grass-type): Weepinbell may win against Erika's Weepinbell only through Stun Spore and Wrap; since this is a mirror match, the outcome will be entirely based on luck, as Erika's Weepinbell knows both moves as well. Tangela knows Bind, which is just as good as Wrap, though Weepinbell's Acid can 3-4HKO; after some Wrap spam, switching to the offensive will simplify the matchup. Gloom is the easy Pokémon of the group; like Weepinbell, it knows Acid, but no other troublesome move. Once again, powder move and Wrap spam will win. * Gym #5 - Koga (Fuchsia City, Poison-type): All three Venonat are 3HKOed by Victreebel's Body Slam, but Victreebel should avoid Venomoth, which can 3HKO with Psychic. * Fighting Dojo (Saffron City, Fighting-type): Weepinbell struggles to fight against Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan, despite its Fighting resistance; Vine Whip and Acid can at best do the same damage as their respective best moves, so Weepinbell is stuck with Wrap stall if it must win. On the other hand, Victreebel 2HKOs them with Razor Leaf. * Rival (Silph Co.): Sandslash is OHKOed by Victreebel's Razor Leaf; Cloyster is 1-2HKOed, though its Aurora Beam can 3HKO at best. Body Slam deals about as much damage as Ninetales' Ember, so Ninetales can also be defeated if Body Slam is used in tandem with Wrap and/or powder moves. Magneton is a safe Razor Leaf 3HKO, though its Supersonic may impair Victreebel's sweeping capabilities if it hits; confusion recoil is considerable. Kadabra is 2HKOed safely, as its Psybeam is too weak to counter Victreebel. Vaporeon is 2-3HKOed by Razor Leaf; Flareon is at best 4HKOed by Body Slam, but Victreebel would be playing a losing game against it, as it knows Fire Spin which can quickly outpace Victreebel's Wrap. Jolteon is also not a suitable opponent, as its Pin Missile is doubly super effective against Victreebel in this generation, and even a very average 3-hit turn chips away roughly half of Victreebel's health. * Giovanni (Silph Co., Ground-type): Victreebel can 3HKO Nidorino with Body Slam and Nidoqueen with Razor Leaf; Rhyhorn is OHKOed by the latter, and Kangaskhan is 2HKOed. * Gym #6 - Sabrina (Saffron City, Psychic-type): Victreebel can only really KO Abra, which has no offensive moves; Kadabra and Alakazam would 2-3HKO Victreebel, and even resorting to Wrap and hope for a lucky draw would be pushing it. * Gym #7 - Blaine (Cinnabar Island, Fire-type): Rapidash is not recommended, as it can trap Victreebel with Fire Spin and is better than it at trap-stalling in every way; Ninetales and Arcanine simply two-shot Victreebel with Flamethrower and Fire Blast respectively, and must not be fought. * Gym #8 - Giovanni (Viridian City, Ground-type): Razor Leaf OHKOs Dugtrio and Rhydon and 2-3HKOs Persian, though fighting Dugtrio is extremely dangerous for Victreebel, because its Fissure can actually strike. It can also 3HKO Nidoking and Nidoqueen if Victreebel outspeeds, but otherwise, their Earthquake will do the same; Wrap stall is possible, but Stun Spore or Sleep Powder support and caution are advised. * Rival (Route 22, pre-Elite Four): Sandslash and Cloyster are one-shot by Razor Leaf. Ninetales is stuck with Ember, and can thus be 3-4HKOed by Body Slam, or fall to powder and Wrap stall; Exeggcute is also a 3-4HKO with the same move. Magneton is 2-3HKOed by Razor Leaf, its Supersonic being the only possible annoyance. Kadabra two-shots Victreebel, and should be fought by a proper counter. Vaporeon is 2-3HKOed by Razor Leaf, but Jolteon and Flareon would beat Victreebel with Pin Missile and Flamethrower respectively; avoid them. * Elite Four Lorelei (Indigo Plateau, Ice-type): Razor Leaf OHKOs Cloyster and Slowbro, 1-2HKOs Dewgong, and 2HKOs Lapras. Victreebel should preferably put Lapras to sleep or paralyse it first, as its Blizzard is also a 2HKO and thus deals considerable damage. A lucky Victreebel may also score a 2HKO (instead of a 3HKO) against Jynx, but if not, Jynx will otherwise 3HKO with Ice Punch; prepare a switch-in if needed. * Elite Four Bruno (Indigo Plateau, Fighting-type): Razor Leaf OHKOs both Onix, 1-2HKOs Hitmonlee and Hitmonchan, and 2-3HKOs Machamp. None of them can threaten Victreebel. * Elite Four Agatha (Indigo Plateau, Poison-type): It is recommended for Victreebel to avoid Haunter and the two Gengar; while they largely rely on Hypnosis and Dream Eater, which is easily preventable, their Confuse Ray can impair Victreebel's sweeping capabilities, which are limited to begin with, as they all resist Razor Leaf and are immune to Body Slam. Instead, Victreebel can use Stun Spore or Sleep Powder in tandem with Body Slam to 3-4HKO Golbat while avoiding its Confuse Ray, and do the same with Arbok and its Glare. * Elite Four Lance (Indigo Plateau, Dragon-type): Gyarados can 3HKO with Hyper Beam, but Victreebel's powder moves paired with Wrap may help it get past Gyarados and eventually 3HKO it with Razor Leaf. Body Slam is stronger than any of the Dragonair's moves, and can 3HKO both of them; again, powder moves may help with this task. Aerodactyl is 2HKOed by Razor Leaf and its Hyper Beam is only a 3HKO, so it will not pose a problem. Dragonite beats Victreebel with Blizzard and Fire Blast, however. * Champion Rival (Indigo Plateau): Sandslash can be OHKOed with Razor Leaf; Cloyster is 1-2HKOed, and 2-3HKOs with Ice Beam, but the circumstance that would lead both moves to 2HKO and Victreebel to be outsped (and thus beaten) is exceedingly unlikely. Alakazam is simply stronger and beats Victreebel; Exeggutor is bulky, but knows little more than Stomp, and can be Wrap-stalled to the last bit of HP. Ninetales has acquired Fire Spin, which makes it superior to Victreebel's Wrap-stall, the only viable weapon it used to have against it. Razor Leaf 3HKOs Magneton and 2-3HKOs Vaporeon, whose Aurora Beam is a 4HKO at best, and Vaporeon is slower. Jolteon still knows the killer Pin Missile and Flareon not only has Flamethrower now, but also Fire Spin; both of them require better counters. * Post-Game: The lair of a Psychic-type legendary is not where a Poison-type should be. }} Moves Bellsprout starts with Vine Whip and Growth. The latter is actually a very good move, as it acts as the equivalent of Calm Mind for later gens. At level 13, it learns Wrap, which is absolutely broken in this generation: it prevents the opponent from doing anything at all until it is freed. While the Bellsprout line does not exactly shine for its Speed, it can be a handy move to use when a free switch-in is needed. Then, it starts learning the powder moves, one by one: it gets PoisonPowder at level 15, then Sleep Powder at level 18, and lastly, Stun Spore at level 21. Out of all of them, Sleep Powder and Stun Spore are likely the best choices, especially due to how well they go with Wrap. Weepinbell will attempt to relearn Stun Spore at level 23, in case Bellsprout missed out on it; it then gets Acid at level 29, and at long last, the upgrade to Vine Whip in the form of Razor Leaf at level 38, which always scores a critical hit in this generation. This is also the last move worth waiting on; Slam, at level 49, is nowhere near useful with the several Normal-type alternatives every Pokémon has. Victreebel does not have many TM moves available to learn, which is another good reason to wait for Razor Leaf before evolution. Interesting options include Reflect, which is a welcome boost to its otherwise lacking physical bulk, and Swords Dance if desperate to run a physical set, but that can only be backed up by Normal moves such as Body Slam or Double-Edge. The only Grass alternatives it gets are the ridiculously underpowered Mega Drain and SolarBeam which, sadly, has poor damage output in a generation without Sunny Day. Recommended moveset: Razor Leaf, Wrap, Sleep Powder / Stun Spore, Body Slam Recommended Teammates * Fire-types: Despite their relatively low usefulness in Kanto, Fire-types are great companions for Victreebel, since their typing covers most of their weaknesses, whether offensively or defensively. It should be noted, however, that Fire does not resist Ice in this generation. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Ninetales, Arcanine, Rapidash, Magmar, Flareon * Rock-types: Together with Fire-types, Rock-types help Victreebel cover its remaining weaknesses. Although both of them are weak to Water and Ground, Victreebel's STAB and resistances, jointed with not so bad Speed, are enough to compensate. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Golem, Rhydon, Omastar, Kabutops * Psychic-types: In the first generation, only a good Psychic-type can counter another Psychic-type. On a team with Victreebel, having a Psychic-type on board is appropriate and recommended. ** Good Pokémon that fit this description include, among others: Alakazam, Slowbro, Hypno, Exeggutor, Starmie, Mr. Mime Other Bellsprout's stats Weepinbell's stats Victreebel's stats * At what point in the game should I be evolved? Weepinbell should achieve its first evolutionary stage before any significant fight. It is wise to then wait for Razor Leaf to get to Victreebel status, as it will get no access to other Grass moves otherwise. Although this takes long, it will be entirely worth it. * How good is the Bellsprout line in a Nuzlocke? A little better than the average Grass-type, no more and no less. Essentially, it does the exact same job as Venusaur, except it has less Defense but one more trick - Wrap - to account for, and it takes longer to learn Razor Leaf, thus remaining unevolved for a sizeable chunk of the middle game in which Venusaur can fare better. Victreebel will not be the very best there ever was, but it serves its purpose in nuzlockes of slightly higher-than-average difficulty, or even just as an element of novelty. * Weaknesses: Fire, Flying, Psychic, Ice, Bug (x4) * Resistances: Fighting, Water, Electric, Grass (x0.25) * Immunities: None * Neutralities: Normal, Poison, Ground, Rock, Ghost, Dragon Category:Red/Blue/Yellow Category:List of Evolutionary Lines with Completed Analyses